Event #28 - Warrior Dash

The Warrior Dash was unlike any race we have run before. The course was marked as "3.15ish hellish miles" and that's exactly what it was. The race took place in Manchester, TN with almost 11,000 runners, some in hilarious costumes.

We were joined by David & Dominic who have run with Team G Shock before, and a bunch of our Crossfit CFT friends came out for the race as well! The obstacles were fun and challenging ranging from 20 ft walls with a rope to climb up to a junkyard full of cars you had to run over. The racing between the obstacles was off-road and the race ended with leaping over 2 rows of fire and crawling through a mud pit. Again, unlike any other race we've been a part of, but an amazing time.

Here are the official results:

1343rd place - David Wright - 36:16:10

2936th place - Dominic Parente - 41:16:60

4769th place - Nate Towne - 46:40:00

4772nd place - Sara Towne - 46:40:10

And even with the mud, we managed to keep the camera with us for most of the race to get a few photos!

The pile of dirty shoes when we got there - they will clean and donate

your shoes if you leave them

Warriors! (obviously before)

The giant Warrior helmet - soon to be covered in muddy body prints

Me, Nate, David & Dominic before

Me & Nate before...

...annnnnnd after!

We left our prints on the giant helmet

Team G Shock & Crossfit CFT at the Warrior Dash!

As clean as we were going to get for the moment

The pile of shoes when we left!

We survived the Warrior Dash!

Another day at the beach...

...typically means another race for Dad! On the same day that Nate & I took to the park for our 27th race, Dad ran another of the Seven Sisters & Two Brothers races. Mom & Dad headed to Dewey Beach early that morning for the Bottle & Cork 5k, which Dad actually ran last year as well!

Most of the races in the series run along the same (or similar) course. You run through some of the neighboring streets and usually the residents will come outside and cheer on the runners. During this race, while Dad was running in his Team G Shock shirt, a neighbor yelled out "Where's the rest of Team G Shock?" to which he replied "Running in Nashville!". It's nice to know that people notice Team G Shock along the way!

Here are Dad's official results:

166th place - Joe Ross - 36:20

Mom took some pictures for us to share, so take a look! And keep an eye out for our Warrior Dash results, coming soon!

Before the race at the Bottle & Cork!

Go G SHOCK Go!

Finishing strong - and checking his G Shock watch!

Sale = Summer is over :(

Event #27 - Dash For Dad

I don't quite know where to start with this post! It was our 27th race, which is unbelievable to me. I was the girl that quit after a mile because I was tired or "couldn't" keep going. Well apparently things have changed.

This past Saturday we headed out to Centennial Park as we have for the past 2 years for the Dash For Dad (formerly known as the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge). The race was not as crowded as the last couple of years, but it was a perfect day for a run. The course had changed a bit, but still went around the park and then through the park for the finish.

Nate & I started out a little faster than normal, but it felt OK so we kept it up. I was amazed at how good we felt since it was a quicker pace, but all of our Crossfit CFT training must still be paying off!

Not only did we set new PR's (by a LOT), but we came in 1st in each of our age groups. Again, there were not a ton of people, but that is still a huge accomplishment for us! Here are the "official" times (there were no chips so we're using Nate's G SHOCK watch as the official timer):

23rd place - Nate Towne - 27:57

24th place -Sara Towne - 27:57

We were so excited with our new times - I literally did not think that it was possible for me to run that fast. Now we will have to work on getting even faster! As per the usual, we took lots of pictures, and were sure to stick around for the "awards".

Before the race.

Nate's response to "how excited are you for this race?"

After...

...and after we realized what we had done! New PR's!

1st place - Men age 25-29

1st place - Women age 25-29

With our valuable prize...but we'll take it!

Had to show my excitement somehow - and had to outdo the last time!

What better way to keep the official time than on a G Shock?

Go BLUE!

No, I'm not a Michigan fan all of the sudden (sorry Melis & Todd), but it is officially time to Go Blue! September has officially been proclaimed Blue September, so now is the time to show your support!

There are multiple ways that you can participate No and help educate friends & family members on the signs of Prostate Cancer and how to stay ahead of the disease throughout the month. Next Friday, September 16th is officially BLUE FRIDAY, a day to wear blue to work or paint your face in support of the PCF. I know I will be taking part, will you??

And as a warm-up to the Warrior Dash, we'll be running one of our favorite races (for the 3rd time!) this coming weekend. The Dash For Dad (formerly known as the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge) is taking place on Saturday and we're excited to take part yet again! If you're in Nashville and looking for something to do on Saturday morning, come run with us or come cheer on Team G Shock!

Event #26 - East Nashville Tomato 5k

In the last 26 months we have run 26 races for Team G Shock. That is incredible to me. And we ran them all with the same cause in mind, The Prostate Cancer Foundation. The race last weekend was no different.

There were about 1100 runners (an amazing crowd), and lots of spectators along the course. We were even lucky enough to have some of our Crossfit CFT coaches & fellow athletes come out to cheer us on! It was nice to see some friendly faces along the course, especially in the middle of some of those hills.

With all of our additional training, we improved on our times from last year, which is exciting. Here are the official results:

386th place - Nate Towne - 29:24

491st place - Sara Towne - 31:13

Before the start, we noticed a masked man with a jogging stroller rigged with 2 video cameras among the runners. At one point during the race, we heard someone from behind ask "Is anyone running for charity?". My immediate reaction was to raise my hand, and here came the guy with the cameras. He handed me the stroller and asked me to talk about our charity. I was happy to spread the word of Team G Shock, even if I was halfway through a pretty tough 5k. I was able to find the video to share with you all! Check it out.

http://banditvision.wordpress.com/

And as always, we snapped a few pictures along the way as well.

Before.

After. We did it!

Our Crossfit CFT supporters!

Nate, Derrick, Jeremy, Polo, Carissa, Me & the pups.

The Tomato Festival in full effect!

Now its time to prepare for the upcoming Warrior Dash that we'll face in September! It should be a good challenge for Team G Shock!

Last One's a Rotten Tomato - PART 2

That's right, we're heading to East Nashville again this year for the East Nashville Tomato 5k! We took on this race last year, and are happy to make it race #26 for Team G Shock this go-around.

The race is bright & early at 7:30am this Saturday! We're excited to see how we do, and are hoping to have some of our Crossfit CFT coaches and athletes there to cheer us on (hint, hint people). :)

Don't forget to send good thoughts our way come Saturday morning! GOOOO G SHOCK!

Event #25 - Rusty Rudder 5k

Ok, let me first apologize for the lack of updates lately. I'm telling you, having a puppy takes up more time than I ever imagined. Its totally worth it (who can resist those sweet puppy dog eyes), but it gets in the way of some other stuff. But enough of that.

About a month ago, we were up at the beach with the whole Ross family for some fun in the sun. As we've done the last few years, we found a race in the Seven Sisters & Two Brothers race series. The race was on the morning of the 4th of July. Mom & Dad had to leave early that morning to catch the ferry up to New Jersey for a wedding so they weren't there for the race, but the rest of the family was and came to cheer us on.

Nate is getting faster every race, and I'm trying my best to keep up! :) Here are our official times:

417th place - Nate Towne - 28:56

485th place - Sara Towne - 30:38

We're still working to get faster, but we're definitely getting there. 785 runners finished the race, and we all ended the morning with some food & drinks at the Rusty Rudder (a favorite Dewey Beach hangout for my friends & I).

Thanks to the family for coming out to cheer us on and for taking some photos for Team G Shock!

Early morning before picture - at the beach house

Here comes Nate!

And not TOO far behind, there I am!

After the race!

Two of our cheerleaders playing in the bay! :)

What's not to like about these races? The beach AND beer? Ok!

Another one of our "fans" showing off the sweet shirts.

Uncle Geoff & Lily playing in the bay - we were so lucky to have the family there!

One more shot in front of the bay...